Yamahas head out early for Sepang II MotoGP test

The second official MotoGP test of the year got underway at 10am local time at Sepang in Malaysia.

Sunshine and hot temperatures greeted the riders and teams this morning, although storms will remain an ever present risk - indeed it rained heavily at Sepang on Monday evening.

After some test and CRT competitors, Valentino Rossi was among the first of the manufacturer riders to appear, shortly before 10:30am.

Rossi initially led the way with a time of 2m 2.791s from four laps, before Yamaha team-mate and reigning world champion Jorge Lorenzo moved ahead with a 2m 2.294s.

Pramac Ducati team-mates Ben Spies and Andrea Iannone have also been on track, with the first of the Honda riders starting to appear shortly afterwards.

Among those not yet setting a lap time is Michael Laverty, who told Crash.net that he plans to make his debut on the new PBM CRT machine at around lunchtime today.

The MotoGP rookie, second fastest CRT on the last day of the previous test while using the full Aprilia ART machine, said that the finishing touches to the new Aprilia-powered PBM bike (including system checks for the Magneti Marelli control electronics) are currently being completed.

Repsol Honda's Dani Pedrosa was fastest on all three days of the first test, setting a best lap time of 2m 0.100s.